Background: Parents of children with high weight are often the target of blame and shaming. However, this form of stigma, termed weight stigma by association, is poorly understood.Objective: To investigate the sources, forms, and impacts of weight stigma by association among mothers of children with overweight or obesity. Methods: Mothers of 5 to 16-year-old children (N=34; 54% non-Hispanic White) participated in semi-structured interviews. A coding scheme was developed using the constant comparative method and reliably applied to interview transcripts. Mothers’ self-reported sociodemographic information, and height and weight were measured.Results: Family members were a common source of negative comments to parents about children’s weight; these comments were often critical of mothers’ parenting and caused hurt feelings and family estrangement. Many mothers also reported negative feelings about their children’s physicians due to interactions about their children’s weight. Almost all mothers expressed guilt and sadness for not parenting differently; many internalized beliefs that they were bad parents because of their children’s weight. Conclusion: Mothers of children with overweight and obesity are frequently the target of weight stigma by association. Additional research is needed to elucidate the impacts of this form of stigma on parents’ health, the parent/child relationship, and children’s health.
Weight Stigma by Association Among Parents of Children with Obesity: A Randomized Trial